LITTLE STEPS. BIG FAITH.™

Frolic Newsletter

THE BASICS

Each newsletter includes expert information about your child’s development, practical tips on how and when to incorporate faith into your little one’s daily life, meaningful ways you can celebrate each season and holiday with your child, and more!
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Your Developing Child

Always and in all ways

Welcome to your first Frolic Newsletter! Your new baby has come into the bright and beautiful world where you have been waiting to welcome, hold, feed, comfort, guide, and love them. Whether you experienced a home birth, delivered in a hospital or birthing center, or first met your infant...

Welcome to your first Frolic Newsletter! Your new baby has come into the bright and beautiful world where you have been waiting to welcome, hold, feed, comfort, guide, and love them. Whether you experienced a home birth, delivered in a hospital or birthing center, or first met your infant through the adoption process, your life has already changed in major ways because of this little one.

By now you’ve probably seen the graphs, tables, and charts that describe the developmental milestones in the first months of life. These milestones are usually described in terms of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. All these types of development are helpful to know about. But thinking of them as distinct areas with separate milestones isn’t quite accurate.

Simply put, babies don’t compartmentalize how they experience and learn about the world. Development in one area can shape or be shaped by development in others. For example, physical growth can influence cognitive development. Emotional advances pave the way for changes in social interactions. What a wonderful reminder that your baby is always growing, always learning, always experiencing the world around them–a world you can shape through the environment you provide!

Growing In Faith

Going gaga for baby

Falling in love. Some parents report it happening in the moments after birth as they first held their little one in their arms. Others confess that it took them days or even weeks to warm up to the strange little creature that completely rearranged their lives. Both are completely normal! Either...

Falling in love. Some parents report it happening in the moments after birth as they first held their little one in their arms. Others confess that it took them days or even weeks to warm up to the strange little creature that completely rearranged their lives. Both are completely normal! Either way, it’s a fierce and overwhelming experience when it happens, a love that practically bowls you over with the desire to protect and nurture your precious baby.

Hold onto that feeling! It may provide you with your first opportunity to begin teaching your little one about God. No, your little one isn’t ready for theology lessons, and it will be a while before they’ll be able to understand Bible stories or think concretely about faith, but it’s not too early for your child to experience God’s love. God’s fathomless love is difficult even for adults to understand, but many of us begin to grasp it by thinking of God as a loving parent and of ourselves as God’s children. As a new parent, you now have an opportunity to give your child a glimpse of the way God loves them. Every feeding, every lullaby, every cuddle, and even every diaper change is laying a foundation for the way your child will understand God’s presence, God’s comfort, and God’s love and care in their life.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, though–God’s love may be perfect, but no human parent is. Just focus on enjoying these early days with your baby, love them fiercely, and find peace in the knowledge that God cares for your child with a love that meets and even surpasses yours.

Celebrating The Seasons

Spring cleaning, baby edition

When you have a new baby, it can be a major accomplishment just to leave the house! When stress creeps into your life, pray Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” This March, to celebrate the end of winter, take your little one out for ...

When you have a new baby, it can be a major accomplishment just to leave the house! When stress creeps into your life, pray Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” This March, to celebrate the end of winter, take your little one out for a walk to breathe in some fresh air. Signs of spring are all around! Trees are budding, days are lengthening, birds are singing, and flowers are popping up through the earth.

Spring serves as a reminder that new life is all around us. Mama birds are nesting, while baby birds are singing for their breakfast. Baby animals scurry about, finding their way in the springtime world. Introduce your child to all of the excitement of spring. Talk to your infant about the spring things around you. Describe what you see. Let your baby explore natural textures like sticks, rocks, and flower petals. Point out birds flying overhead and worms on the sidewalk. This spring with your baby can renew your heart and help you look forward to what lies ahead.

Just For You

A parent’s growth curve

When you take your baby in for that first wellness check, the doctor will begin to plot their growth, measuring length, weight, and head circumference and plotting the results on a graph that corresponds to your child’s age. And your doctor might remind you that while these markers provide...

When you take your baby in for that first wellness check, the doctor will begin to plot their growth, measuring length, weight, and head circumference and plotting the results on a graph that corresponds to your child’s age. And your doctor might remind you that while these markers provide some information about your child’s development in relation to other children, they’re meant to record your baby’s own unique growth curve. Your little one might be off-the-charts large or off-the-charts small, but if growth continues to climb along your child’s unique “curve,” their body is doing what it’s supposed to do.

When you’re tempted to compare yourself to other parents, be sure to show yourself the same wisdom and compassion you extend so effortlessly to your child. One mom might be running a small business from home. One dad works second shift so he can care for his child during the day. Those are the plot points of their unique “curves.”

Your job is to keep your eyes on your own curve. Pay attention to those places where you’re growing and where you feel stuck, charting them according to your yesterday and your tomorrow. Make a point to be gentle and kind to yourself during these early months. You’ve got this, mama.

P.S. If you find yourself on a trajectory where you’re struggling to care for yourself, your other children, or your new baby, talk to your doctor right away. Post-partum depression is a real biological struggle, one you can’t work through alone. Help is available.

Frolic Books

God’s world is full of amazing things. Good thing God gave us five senses to experience it with.